Assumptions: That the stds will find the holidays interesting.
That the language in the text will not be too difficult
& that it will be interesting vocabulary - choose
the text to match the group.

Anticipated Problems and Solutions:
Some of the vocabulary is tricky so dictionaries
on hand would be helpful.

Aids: The text below.

Procedure

Stage 1 - Intro to
holidays & vocabulary review/expansion

10-15
mins tch<>stds

1. Introduce holidays
& where they might be going/have gone this year.
2. Ask if they could choose, which kind of holiday would
they like - elicit different types of holiday - beach,
safari, adventure, trekking, cycling, touring, weekend
break, sightseeing, cruise, arctic, retreat etc.
3. If you're not going to use all of the holidays described
in the text, choose some that you are not going
to use & tell the class about them, asking them
if they would like that kind of holiday, hopefully a
discussion will ensue. Possibly elicit any ideas for
other holidays that might be in the article you choose
by giving the title.

Stage 2 - Reading

10
mins tch<>stds, std<>std,

1. Handout different holidays
from the textto different stds or small groups - the
brief is to read for detail as they will be exchanging
descriptions later to find the most exciting, interesting,
relaxing etc holiday.
2. Stds read - have dictionaries on hand & go round
helping when needed, encouraging the stds to guess meaning
from context whenever possible. You could design reading
& language tasks to go with each piece of the text.

Stage 3 - Information
exchange

20
mins tch<>stds, std<>std, stds<>tch

1. Put on the board

Which holiday is;

 the most relaxing

 the most exciting

 the most imaginative

 the most innovative

Or choose superlatives to suit. Other
purposes could be:- to give profiles of different
people & stds find the best holiday for each.
- stds find the most appropriate holiday for another
member of the class.

2. Put stds into groups,
each having read about a different holiday - they have
to agree on a holiday for each of the superlatives.
You might review some language that they might need
before they begin, to make the task more effective -
the language of discussion. Elicit/give & write
some exponents on board for reference.
3. Task - while it's going on you take notes on +/-
things said for feedback later on.
4. When decisions have been made get a member from each
group to visit another group to report their findings
& possibly give ideas to the group they are with.
The roving stds then report back to their original groups
who can make changes to their decisions, if they want.
5. Class feedback - see what has been decided &
ask for justifications. Feedack on the language used
during the task.

Follow up activities

The chosen holidays could
then go on to be used in different ways:
- travel agent & customer roleplays - selling &
buying
- travel agent & customer roleplays - customer complaining
as the holiday wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

- stds could write another
description of a holiday location, that fits with the
theme of the overall text used, that they know about.

You could follow
up on some of the travel agent links given in the article
& collect a range of materials from the respective
sites for use in similar activities. Or if you are lucky
enough to have enough computer terminals, get the stds
to do the research & make a project of it.

Down and dirty

Somewhere different where you can feel a bit of
grit between your fingers and not worry about the nails?
Gavan Naden checks out 10 places where you can get away
from it all and come home without feeling the slightest
bit tarnished

Thursday July 4, 2002

1. Dust Will Fly

Get your own image carved in stone. The O'Learys - Lottie
and Will - both trained in stone work and have worked
on major project such as Hampton Court and the Palace
of Westminster. Now they run courses providing all the
tools and the stone - mainly soft limestone. They guarantee
after a bit of hammering you'll be returning home with
a finished piece for your home or garden. The courses
run once a month (Friday-Sunday) from April to October.
Cost is £170pp, including lunch and refreshments.
Accommodation isn't included, but there is plenty available
locally.

If you don't mind the feeling of slippery seaweed between
your toes and fingers, a shoreline safari will suit
you nicely. It's a bit wet but it's fun. An instructor
from 3D Family Active will show you, and expect you
to handle, all the beasts that live in the sea, from
crabs and star fish to lobsters and limpets.

And if that's not mucky enough for you, the company
boasts over 40 mud-raking activities, including orienteering
and raft building. All the activities can be pre-booked
or chosen on the day, and are included in the price.
Three nights' stay costs from £119, children from
£79.

There is nothing to test your mettle as much as living
with pigs. Well, this might not quite be co-habiting,
but at Caecrwn Farmhouse in Brecon, you can definitely
find out how to rear and market them.

This introductory pig-keeping course, with the Caecrwn
herd of Oxford Sandy and Blacks is set on a five-acre
smallholding with views of the Brecon Beacons and Pen-y-fan.
Weekends are filled with the fun of the farm and appetites
satisfied with delicious hand cooked local food.

Accommodation is in a converted hayloft and for added
charm the smallholding also supports a range of animals
including chickens, ducks, geese, sheep and milking
goats to keep any mini pig farmer happy. Residential
weekends start from £175pp, including meals. Held
throughout the year.

Tel 01874 625 397 or visit www.caecrwn.co.uk.

4. There's Magic in Muck

Bung in a few weeds along with some eggs boxes, tea
bags and old flowers, then stir in hamster bedding and
a couple of mouldy apples. And what have you got? The
start of your own fabulous compost patch. However, if
you'd like some expert advice, Yalding Organic Gardens
in Kent runs seasonal workshops on composting techniques,
containers, and organic gardening. The workshops are
generally free, provided you've paid the £3 entrance
to the gardens.

Tel 01622 814650 or visit www.hdra.org.uk.

5. Take a Battering

Get up to your elbows in flour and eggs, and cook with
some of the finest ingredients France has to offer.
Visits to France Et Fuchsias in Normandy also include
a trip to the local delicatessen and an oyster farm
to find out about the harvesting of these molluscs.
Then it's back to the kitchens to be taken through,
and participate in, the cooking. The accent is on fish
dishes with chef Jean-Pierre Lelettier. Prices start
from £188 for three nights' dinner and breakfast,
and include cross channel travel.

Tel 01653 629010 or visit www.inntravel.co.uk.

6.Explosive mix

Don't wear white if you go on the Sicilian volcano
hike weekend. You'll hike up three living volcanoes
(including the 3,323m Mount Etna), look into crater
rims and see spectacular scenery. You have to be reasonably
fit, and be prepared to be surrounded by sulphurous
lava fields, black volcanic ash and rumbling noises,
but it is a truly awesome experience. Prices start from
£645 and include flights, hydrofoil, hotel accommodation
and vehicle hire.

Tel 01252 760 144 or visit www.exploreworldwide.com

7. Hair of the dog

Take your mucky pup and teach him a new trick or two.
Set in rural Gloucestershire, this is a hands-on way
to train man's best friend. Before you know it, Fido
will be fetching his stick from the water - and shaking
his shaggy coat all over you. For courses throughout
June and July, overnight prices start at £155
and include farmhouse accommodation (your dog is welcome
to stay in your room) with all meals, and tuition.

In the heart of Barcelona's gothic quarter, not far
from the famous Ramblas, you can take part in a farmhouse
cheesemaking course on the site of one of the city's
first butter-making factories. The course runs twice
a month and never caters for more than 12 people.

You will be instructed on how to produce fresh cheese
and analyse what makes a good one. Finish off with a
meal of fruit, wine and - of course - cheese. The course
costs around 40 euros.

A little bit of elbow grease, plenty of oil and a spot
of nous: this cycle maintenance course is the equivalent
of getting a degree in bicycle mechanics. The Edinburgh-based
Bike Co-op runs courses most weekends, and you can choose
between an intensive course on the complete bike for
around £40 or, if you prefer, learn how to lace,
build and true a wheel, which you can take away at the
end. Alternatively, if you want to go it alone, one-on-one
tuition is available for £35 an hour.

Ancient emperors loved it, even Mozart took a fancy
to it. And what better way to experience the thrill
of being caked in mud then when it's helping you to
lose weight while detoxifying, toning and revitalising
the skin on your face and body? It might look ridiculous,
but hey - it's all in a good cause.

The Italian resort of Abano Terme, near Mottegrotto,
specialises in such delights, and combines it with soothing
thermal bathing - to wash all the mud away.

Many of the mud therapy sessions are held in special
rooms where guests must arrive with an empty stomach.
The mud therapy cycle lasts an average of one to two
weeks, with six to 12 mud packs, applied daily.